KUNG-FU MASTER RETURNS readme file.

Current version : 0.9 beta

Release date : February 2003
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
----------------
Alexandre Moreira
e-mail: aldeazem@hotmail.com
website: http://moreira.rg3.net
Feel free to send any comments, suggestions, bug reports or any other
kind of colaboration (directly related to this game, of course).
Though the source code is still not available (I'm waiting for the
time when the game gets finished, and more stable), you can send me
questions like how I implemented a certain feature, and I'll try to
reply it if possible.
AGREEMENT
---------
"Kung-Fu Master Returns" is a freeware program, and cannot be sold.
If you have spent any money on getting this game, please let me
know it.
"Kung-Fu Master" is a property of Irem Co. of Japan. Alexandre Moreira
and this remake has no relationship with Irem itself.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
I have no idea on what are the minimum hardware specifications for
running Kung-Fu Master Returns. It depends on your processor, RAM
and gfx card. Anyway, it's essential that you have MS Windows 95
or later installed, as well as MS DirectX 7.0 or later.
If you have what's called a "lower-end machine" and still gets a
good performance on playing this game, please send me an e-mail with
your specifications and the frame rate you reached, as well as the
game configurations you used.
WHAT'S THIS
-----------
"Kung-Fu Master Returns" is a remake of the original "Kung-Fu Master"
by Irem. This version is intended to have more realistic movements and
physics, so it's a bit slower than the original game.
Be aware that it is still unfinished, and it only presents the first
three levels from the original game.
It's being developed using Blitz Basic 2D - www.blitzbasic.com
KNOWN BUGS
----------
* Unlike the original game, you can't get hit by other enemies while grabbed.
However I'm thinking in leaving this feature unchanged, or else the game
may get much harder.
* The hero looks like floating in the air while going upstairs. I'll draw new
frames for this animation as soon as possible.
* 5th. floor continues forever even after you defeat the last boss. The game
ending will hopefully be included in the next version.
GENERAL CREDITS
---------------
Since I'm just a programmer, not an artist, I've taken and edited
some graphics and sounds from other sources. The complete list is
below:
* The hero sprites are taken from the MUGEN character Kung-Fu Man.
MUGEN and Kung-Fu Man are creations of Elecbyte.
Elecbyte website : http://www.elecbyte.com
* Sprites for the grappler character and 1st, 3rd and 5th bosses are
taken from the "Samurai Shodown", "King of Fighters" and "Art of
Fighting" series by SNK.
* Knifethrower and knife sprites are taken from the game "Street Fighter
Zero 2" by Capcom.
Capcom website : http://www.capcom.co.jp
* Mace Ball sprites taken from the "Cadillacs & Dinosaurs" game, also by
Capcom.
* Snake and Bat sprites are taken from the game "Pitfall : The Mayan Adventure"
by Activision.
Activision website : http://www.activision.com
* Dragon sprites are taken from the Saint Seiya game by the Microcosmo team,
made with the MUGEN engine.
This game website is http://www.mgbr.net/ssgame
* Level 2 boss sprites are taken from the game "Mortal Kombat" by Midway.
Midway website : http://www.midway.com
* Kid sprites taken from "Dragon Ball Z Superbutouden 2", by Bandai.
Bandai website : http://www.bandai.co.jp
* Level 4 boss sprites are taken from "Power Instinct", by Atlus.
Atlus website : http://www.atlus.co.jp
* Fireball sprites are taken from "Mortal Kombat II" by Midway.
* The background music is a remix of the original game song, made by Tsu
Ryu.
* Original game concept by Irem. http://www.irem.co.jp
* All other stuff, as well as the game programming itself, is made by
Alexandre Moreira.
CUSTOMIZING THE GAME/SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH KFMR.INI
---------------------------------------------------
If you have problems when running this game, or if you wish to enhance its
performance or appearance, try editting the kfmr.ini file. This section
will describe each of its options.
* Resolution:
Change it if you're having problems with the standard resolution, 400x300.
For example, if the screen looks weird, or if you get a message box
reporting a video error.
* Enable True Color:
The default value is 0, which corresponds to a 16-bit color depth. By
setting it to 1, you'll get a 32-bit color depth (True Color). There is no
visible difference between both modes, though, except for the "Game Over"
screen, which looks much better at True Color.
* Enable Sound/Enable MIDI Music:
Default value for both is one. Set them to 0 if you want to turn off,
respectively, sound effects or background music.
* Shadow Type:
A description of the possible values:
0 (Translucent) : The most accurate type of shadow. It might make the game
slow down though, if you don't have a machine powerful enough to handle it.
1 (Alternated) : It's the same method used in most Neo-Geo fihting games.
Acceptable if you get a constant rate of 60 frames per second (the maximum).
2 (Checkered) : It fits better in higher resolutions (the trick used is
almost imperceptible in 800x600, depending on your monitor screen size).
3 (Opaque) : Another alternative you should try, shadows are drawn in a
single brown color. Acceptable in my opinion.
4 (None) : No shadows are displayed. It's the default value.
* Enable Debug Mode:
Set it to 1, if you want to view the framerate of the game, and the collision
boundaries of each character.
* Difficulty:
Sets the standard difficulty mode of the game, possible values are in the
range 0-3 (Higher means harder).
NOTES:
* The last two options may also be set in the game Options menu.
* If you make some mistake while editting kfmr.ini, just delete it and
run the game once again. The file should be restored with the default
values.
GAME KEYS
---------
Keys A:
JUMP - cursor up
WALK RIGHT - cursor right
CROUCH - cursor down
WALK LEFT - cursor left
PUNCH - Z
KICK - X
Additional Keys:
P - Pauses/Unpauses the game
S - Captures a screenshot of the game (saved in the "capture"
folder as screen0.bmp, screen1.bmp, and so on)
Esc - Quits the game
HOW TO PLAY
-----------
It's very simple! Go all the way forward and reach the stairs that
lead to the next floor before the time runs out. You'll have to crush
many enemies that appear in your way.
You can kick and punch while jumping or crouching, thus giving you a
total of six different attacks.
Beware of the guys in white clothes, that often attack in a group. They
have the vicious behaviour of grabbing you, slowly draining your life.
To escape from this uncomfortable situation, tap alternatedly the left
and right cursor keys, until you finally break free.
TIPS
----
* To avoid grapplers getting close to you, you'd better use punches.
They have a short range but are faster. If they attack in two groups,
at each side, timing is what matters, not speed. If you keep turning
intermittently, you wan't be able to attack, thus becoming an easy
target for your enemies.
* Against the knife thrower, the best strategy is:
Stand in front of him, waiting for him to stop. The way he holds his
knife will allow you to anticipate whether he is going to throw it
up or down. Crouch or jump with the correct timing, and you won't get
hurt. Then approach him and attack him twice. It's done.
* Against a boss, it's a bit harder, since they behave randomly
and are much tougher. You should keep yourself in a safe distance
until he open his guard. Then approach and attack him as many times
as you can. Retreat, and repeat the process until you defeat him.
SPECIAL THANKS
--------------
To my family and to my friends at the IME-UERJ.
To Mark Sibly for creating Blitz Basic 2D.
To Lee Page from Terabit Software, who created the library for
packing/encrypting resources, used in this game.
To the guy who calls himself "Idiot", for coding an excellent routine
to draw perspective floors, which saved me a lot of time.
His website : www.planetidiot.com/games
To Leigh Bowers, for his INI file routines, which also have been
very helpful.
To Ricardo "Randar" Silva, for testing the game and pointing bugs.
To the people at BlitzCoder message board - http://www.blitzcoder.com
To Elecbyte, for creating Kung-Fu Man and MUGEN, which allowed me to
learn a lot about design and programming of fighting games.
And finally to Irem, for creating excellent games, such as Kung-Fu Master.